Publication in a Newspaper

If the Judge grants your name change request, you will have to put a notice of the change of name in the newspaper chosen by the court. The newspaper charges a fee for this service.

The signed Order will say that you have 60 days from the date of the order to put an ad in a newspaper (known as “publication”). This ad gives notice that you legally changed your name.

The Order will tell you the name of the newspaper, or newspapers, where you must put the notice, what the notice should say and how many times it must be published.

Sample Notice

A sample notice looks like this:

Notice is hereby given that an order entered by the _______ court, ____county, on the ___ day of ___, bearing Index Number ____, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at ____, in room number ____, grants me the right to assume the name of ___________. The city and state of my address are ____________; the month and year of my birth are ____________; place of my birth is _________; my present name is ___________.

Publishing the Notice

Take a copy of the Order to the newspaper as soon as possible so that the Notice can be published. It is your responsibility to pay the newspaper fee. The newspaper will give you an Affidavit of Publication. You have to bring this to the Clerk’s Office and file it within ninety (90) days of the date on the signed Order. Once you have filed the Affidavit of Publication, your name change is complete and you can use the new name.

You will need the Order to change all your legal documents, including your birth certificate, social security card, and other government-issued identification like your passport or driver’s license. You can get certified copies of the Order from the Clerk’s Office after the Affidavit of Publication is filed. Keep a certified copy for yourself.